"So, all 'n favor?"

A cricket chirped in the distance.

An orange hoof flew to the air.

Apple Bloom pointed at it. "Yeah, Scootaloo?"

The orange filly lowered the hoof, tapping her chin idly as she calmly asked, "Why are we discussing this now?" Scootaloo looked up to Apple Bloom, finding her blinking face staring back at her. Undeterred, she continued, "didn't we already make him a member? I mean, he has the cape and everything."

Apple Bloom raised a brow slowly, like an unimpressed king judging a lowly servant.

"We spent like three hours making it for him."

Blink.

"We-"

"Hey, what's he doin' anyway?"

The two on the floor turned their heads with Apple Bloom to the opposite end of the tree house, finding the blue Pegasus tapping away at a small black object in his hoof. One side was lit up, casting a white glow upon the front side of his hockey mask. Watching him awhile, the three suddenly broke the silence with a simultaneous, "What're you doing, Delirious?"

The mask turned to frown at them as he quickly stuffed the object into his flank, the thing disappearing completely as if he had pockets in his legs.

"Uh, nothin'."

Apple Bloom raised a brow, "Y'all sure about that?" Delirious looked at her with a feigned look of confusion on his face. "Nothin' ya wanna tell us about that thing in yer hooves just now?"

Delirious shook his head with a declining, "Nope."

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes, telling him, "Well, pay attention. You're a member of the CMC now-"

"Well, I didn't really ask to be-"

"Well..." Apple Bloom began, pursing her lips, "Y'all didn't have yer Cutie Mark, so we're here ta help with that. And, once you get yours, you help us get ours."

Sweetie Belle turned her head, a genuine smile on her face, "I hope that's okay with you, Delirious."

Delirious groaned, but nodded and said, "Yeah. Sure, whatever."

Apple Bloom spoke, beckoning him with a wave of her hoof, "Y'all wanna come over here, Delirious? We're discussin' Crusadin' plans next." She held up a small clipboard, prodding its papered surface with a hoof. "Next on the list."

Delirious raised a brow, tilting his head slightly as if transfixed on something. Apple Bloom dipped her head, frowning at his lack of movement. He coughed into a hoof, took a moment to recline against the wall next to him, and suddenly jolted, popping his back and filling the CMC HQ with audible pops and cracks. Walking over to them, he dropped his rump to the ground like an obedient dog, looking up.

Apple Bloom snorted with laughter, but quickly regained her composure and went back into her previous behavior. "Alright Crusaders, listen up! Today, we've got a lotta things ta take care of! Now, Ah know, we weren't able ta get anythin' done, on account of rescuin' Delirious outta jail, but today, we'll get double that amount done!"

The yellow filly suddenly narrowed her eyes. Throwing her hooves onto the podium in front of her, she leaned forward and shouted, "Delirious!"

The Pegasus flinched, having seemingly zoned out. He stuttered, "Uh, wh-what?"

"Where's your cape, Crusader?"

Delirious gave a look of relief, then turned his body and pointed to the far corner of the HQ. "'t's over there."

"Whah aren't y'all wearin' it?"

He blew a raspberry in response, flailing a hoof, "Pfft, because I look fuckin' ridiculous in that shit. What are we, super-heroes?"

Apple Bloom deflated slightly, but perked up as she commented in a lower tone, "Well... we're super-heroes ta some ponies..." Shaking her head, she leaned back to her previous position, adding, "Ya know what? No need ta deal with this right now. It's planning time. But!" she shouted. "Next time Ah see ya, ya better be wearin' that cape."

"We'll see." Delirious said with a snort of laughter.

"Now, where were we..."

The filly's voice trailed off in his head as Delirious resumed to ignore her. Leaning back slightly, he lowered his eyelids and cast a glance outside the window to his left. The sight of a starry night sky almost made him yawn out of rehearsal. In Los Santos, if he saw just a single star in the sky, it was time for bed, and thus he would retreat back to his apartment and fall asleep wherever he happened to fall out of fatigue. Though he had been in Ponyville for about a week, sleep was something he hadn't had too much. In truth, he hadn't slept all too well to begin with, even while in the barn.

Something was plaguing him. He wasn't sure what, but something definitely was. Watching as a star flew by in a streak of white, he guessed that he would have to wait for his answer. There was something else plaguing him as well, but it was not bad in any way. He was waiting for something. And he had to retrieve it before anyone saw. He dared not show it, and jerked his head up as he raised a hoof.

Apple Bloom, in the middle of talking about the inclusion of Delirious into the CMC, noticed his movement and smiled faintly. "What'cha need, Delirious?"

"I gotta take a shit," he said nonchalantly, the orange filly next to him bursting out laughing.

Apple Bloom looked at him in disgust as Scootaloo raised a fit, Sweetie Belle's lip wobbling as she struggled to contain her composure. Rolling her eyes with a frown on her face, she stated begrudgingly, "Go ahead." Watching as he got up, she tilted her head and asked, "y'all need a flashlight or somethin'?"

Delirious turned quickly, a look of genuine disbelief on his face. "Why the hell would I need a flashlight?"

"I dunno," Scootaloo said, shrugging. Hooves back on the floor, she added, "there could be something out there. It is after midnight after all."

"The Crazed Flank Stabber, for example," Sweetie Belle said matter-of-factly, a dead glare on her face, a barely noticeable smile betraying it completely.

"That's a possibility, Delirious. Ah'd take the flashlight-"

"Fuck you. I'm not some little bitch. I can handle myself."

"But can you handle the Crazed Flank Stabber-"

"I'd handle the fuck outta the Crazed Flanked Stabber."

"I bet you would, Delirious-"

"Fuck you," he said with a chuckle, opening the door to the tree house. "Gimme a minute. Be back." The door shut behind him, creaking in his wake and shutting any sight of the outside. The three turned to one another, still giggling at their exchange with the Pegasus.

"That was a good one, guys!" Scootaloo said, hiding her gaping grin behind an orange hoof.

"Ah wonder if it worked. Delirious is probably all scared outside!" Apple Bloom added, her face scrunched up.

"Oh my gosh, that would be so funny! Where'd you come up with that Flank-Stabber thing, Sweetie Belle?"

"Yeah, that was pure genius!"

The Unicorn filly stopped laughing immediately, turning her head to look at her friends with a slightly careful look. Biting her lower lip, she stammered, "I, uh... I didn't make it up."

"What, that's actually a thing? Who the hay goes around stabbing pony's butts?" Scootaloo asked, brow furrowed in disbelief, hooves on her hips as she leaned toward Sweetie Belle, who didn't even flinch at the movement.

"The Crazed Flank Stabber, obviously," Apple Bloom answered in a serious tone. "Ah mean, y'all've never heard of the Crazed Flank Stabber, Scootaloo? And here Ah thought you loved scary stories."

Scootaloo frowned, "Pfft, of course I do. O-of course I know about him. That's just, uh, not the name I know him by."

"And what name would that be?" Sweetie Belle asked behind her.

"The, uh," she stuttered in reply. Looking down, she hummed for a brief second before looking back up to the the two fillies raising eyebrows at her, "the... The Crazed Butt Stabber! That's what I know him as! Yeah, yeah, The Crazed Butt Stabber."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave each other sarcastic looks, before the former said, "Y'all wearin' a pink mustache?"

"Uh, no-"

"Good." Apple Bloom turned tail, heading back to the podium and taking her prior place behind it. The other two took their cue and sat in front of it, awaiting Apple Bloom's speech. The filly looked at them, before she smiled and began, "alright, so we've got a few things on the list for today. Since we're all still a bit adrenaline-pumped after Delirious' break-out, Ah doubt any of us are gonna be able ta sleep, so we've got the whole day ahead of us."

Suddenly, she turned the podium, the sloped area now facing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom walked up to the side of it, pointing a hoof on the crudely drawn map of Ponyville. "Sweetie Belle!"

"What do you need, Boss?" Sweetie Belle asked, getting up swiftly and saluting Apple Bloom.

"This," she replied, prodding the map, "is the Boutique. Th' only pony we know with th' right fabric to make what we need is yer sis, Sweetie Belle. Ah'm gonna need ya to get it without her noticin'-"

"What are we making, exactly?" Sweetie Belle asked, tilting her head.

Apple Bloom smiled, awaiting the question. Walking to her right, still grinning at her friends, she stopped next to the painting easel they had used in an attempt to get their Famous Art Cutie Marks. They had stopped when word got around that Sweetie Belle had made an almost exact replica of the Mane-a Lisa. Throwing a hoof underneath the top paper, she flipped it over the top end, revealing her plan.

The next piece of paper was covered with articles upon articles of information, with a large circle on the side with percentage signs and the list of their names along the side.

Apple Bloom pointed a hoof to the easel, and grinned deeply. "We're makin' parachutes, girls."

"Didn't we already try parachuting last month? Why don't we do something cool for once?" Scootaloo asked, a look of curiosity on her features.

"Sweetie Belle."

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Flick her."

"What are you- ow!" Scootaloo grimaced, rubbing her foreleg with a hoof as she grit her teeth. "Jeez. Calm down Fixer, just tryin' to have a little fun."

"Fun is debatable."

"When'd you two turn into super soldiers?" Scootaloo asked sarcastically.

"When Delirious got here-"

"Hey, where is he anyway?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning her head to look at the entrance. She turned back at the sound of Apple Bloom's voice.

"Prob'ly taken bah the Crazed Flank Stabber."

"Okay guys you can stop now."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle laughed at Scootaloo's expense, but quickly regained their composure for Apple Bloom to continue. Coughing into a hoof, she pointed at the easel once again.

"So! Sweetie Belle, you get the fabric. Parachutes are usually made outta pretty good stuff, but seein' as how we're fillies, Ah don't think we'll need nothin' too strong. Just ask her today what her strongest fabric is, and then get it tomorrow."

"Got it!"

"Now, Scootaloo."

"Yeah?" she asked, a sly grin on her face. "Whatever you need, I'll get it."

"What Ah, ahem, we need is some heavy duty metal."

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, looking to her left and right as she sucked in her cheeks silently.

"You, uh, want me to what now-"

"Heavy duty metal. We're gonna need somethin' to take us up there, duh!" Apple Bloom said, raising a hoof off the ground and placing it in front of her in the air. "Do you not know anything about flying?"

"Hey, I know a lot about flying! Rainbow Dash has been teaching me! Why the hay can we not just use some saddlebags or something? Wouldn't that be a lot easier-"

"Nope. Now, for me, Ah've gotta get the rope to attach ourselves to the parachutes. Ah say we each get a cut," Apple Bloom said, producing a marker seemingly out of thin air. Turning to the paper, she began to scribble on its surface. Looking back, she showed the percentage circle from earlier, two large parts shaded in it, each equaling forty-five percent with the letters AB and SB in them. "This is what we'll each be sharin'."

"Sharing? What are we sharing?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Candy. Some Crusader medals. What else?"

"Where's my share?" Scootaloo asked, crossing her forelegs.

Apple Bloom tapped the marker against the paper, pointing at the rest of the circle's circumference. "Right there." The marker prodded the white area labelled with an S.

"Oh-" Scootaloo said, before being cut off by Apple Bloom.

"Alright girls, let's heist-"

"Wait," Sweetie Belle said, waving her hooves downward as she peered upward. "Be quiet girls. I hear something."

The trio quieted down, and suddenly grew aware of a low whirring sound echoing in the distance. Seconds passed, and the fillies mouthed words of confusion as the sound grew closer, eventually seeming to have passed directly overhead, before it slowly began to disappear into the night sky. Looking at one another in confusion, a sudden thump made them all jump in the air.

"The hay was that?"

"Where's Delirious?!"

The three gave each other one final look of fright, before quickly sprinting to the HQ door, flinging it open and standing on the wooden walkway. Leaning over the rail, they watched in a hushed silence as Delirious sat down next to a large green crate, a small red rod in the ground next to him, a stream of likewise red smoke bleeding into the night sky. Bent over, his hooves went from the crate then to his stomach, only to return to the crate again. At one point, he paused, chuckling darkly as he held a small bottle in his hooves, a burning towel sprouting from its rim.

Suddenly, his head jerked back, and, underneath the shade of the large oak tree, leaned forward slowly. Through the darkness, though a couple yards away, the trio of fillies heard him suddenly say something.

"...are you fuckin' kidding me?" Delirious got up, walking away as if he had witnessed the most idiotic thing in the world. Turning on his heel, he hissed, "I can't fuckin' believe this shit."

"Can't believe what?" Scootaloo asked, leaning toward Delirious.

The stallion jumped with a yell, quickly scrambling as he slunk against the oak tree, a hoof to his heart. "Y'all fuckin' scared me. Holy fuckin' shit man..."

The three began to walk down the ramp, Apple Bloom taking point. Casting a glance to the East, she found the silhouette of what appeared to be a large bird flying away. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to be flapping its wings. The low whirring sound sounded far off in the distance. Turning to Delirious as all three reached the ground, Apple Bloom asked, "What's that crate for, Delirious?"

Trotting up to it, ignoring the still heart-grasping Delirious, she peered at the label. "Munitions crate," she read aloud, a hoof on her chin, "Property of Mare-yweather Company...?" She looked over to him, and watched as his chest rose and fell twice, before he gave her a breathless response.

"I. Fuckin'. Hate. Horse puns."

"Whoa, what's happening here?"

The four looked to the sky, watching as a rainbow-maned Pegasus hovered in the air.

"Hey Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo called, a large grin on her face.

"Hey Squirt!" Rainbow replied, her hooves touching the ground. Walking over to the orange filly, she tussled her purple mane and chuckled before turning to Delirious, who got up from his position against the tree. "Oh, hey, um..."

"Delirious," he replied, brow to the night sky. Sniffing the air, he asked, "what the hell you doin' here? Shouldn't you be sleepin' or something?"

"Kinda hard to when you've got that thing over there!" she said, pointing a hoof toward the still burning flare.

Delirious took one look at it and said simply, "Oh."

"Yeah," Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes. "What the he-" She looked over at Scootaloo, and coughed into a hoof, "what the hay are you doing with that? And what was with that sound earlier? I was sleeping on a cloud overhead and felt something fly past me. I mean, I wasn't scared, but what the hay was it?"

"Nothing," Delirious replied all too quickly.

Rainbow tilted her head at him, eyeing him up. Suddenly, she watched as his wings flexed slightly, and her magenta irises grew brighter in the night. "Huh, didn't realize you were a Pegasus before. You good with those wings?"

Delirious flailed a hoof, "Of course I do. I'm H2O Delirious!"

"You sure? 'cuz, hey! If you need a teacher, I uh," she suddenly struck a pose, flaring her wings and giving a cocky grin, "know a mare."

"I know how to fly, I don't need some fuckin' flight instructor-"

"Delirious, you should totally join!"

He looked to his right toward the trio of fillies. Scootaloo looked at him with a smile. "Rainbow's a really good teacher! It'd be so awesome if you were there, Delirious!"

Delirious looked to his left, grumbling with a frown on his face. Blue eyes gazed into a large group of bushes, and slowly found something green amidst the darkness of the night. Leaning toward it slightly, the green eyes stared back. He blinked, and the eyes were gone. Shaking his head, he turned back to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, biting his lip. "I dunno... I've got a lot better things to do with my life-"

"C'mon Delirious."

He looked to his right, and found Apple Bloom smiling at him.

"It'll be fun. B'sides, Ah don't think it'd be safe for ya ta just be walking around town after what happened." Delirious frowned slightly, troubled. Thinking quickly, she calmed her tone and said simply, "take to the sky, Delirious."

Delirious gazed back at Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, watching their waiting expressions. His gaze fell to Apple Bloom.

The mask frowned.

But Delirious smiled, and finally nodded in agreement.

As the five celebrated, Delirious looked back to the bush from earlier. The green eyes were long gone.

The flare went out.

Author's Notes:

Outta his mind, and into the sky.